It’s been barely a week since Blizzard dropped its Overwatch anniversary event, and dedicated players have already started obsessing over how to collect as much as possible and maximize their time before it closes. There are exhaustive Reddit threads analyzing just how many in-game credits are required to purchase every new item. You can also find article after article breaking down all the new in-game emotes and skins so players can prioritize how best to spend their virtual currency.
the ‘Overwatch’ business model could become the gold standard for shooters
The most astounding part is that none of this matters at all. Every item is cosmetic: they won’t make you run faster, deal more damage, or collaborate better with your teammates. Everything Blizzard has included in the update, and every update prior to the anniversary event, is designed to be an aesthetic flourish. You can get your hands on a funny dance animation, or a slickly designed new skin that makes a character look like a futuristic space marine or even a beekeeper.
More than anything, the anniversary event illustrates why Blizzard’s business model for Overwatch is such a successful departure for multiplayer shooters — and how it could become the gold standard going forward. Because Blizzard doesn’t sell in-game currency at a 1:1 ratio, like many other modern games with collectibles, players are forced to buy bulk packs of loot boxes.
These boxes have a random chance of dropping something you’ll want. But more often than not, they contain stuff you already have. There’s also a currency in the game that will let you buy items directly, yet you can only earn that currency by opening a loot box. So think of this system as like trading card booster packs, where you might have a slight chance of getting a rare card grouped in with a bunch of so-so ones.
Photo: Blizzard Games
Players can purchase large amounts of loot boxes at once to maximize their odds of getting a desirable item (or to amass more gold). But the better approach — and the one most players have figured out — is that you need to pick and choose which items you really want and focus only on those. (It’s worth noting that Blizzard on Friday responded to frustrated fans who feel the loot box system for the anniversary event is unfairly stingy and not weighted toward new items. The developer says its monitoring the situation and looking into ways to improve it for special events.)